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This is an add-on rather than a standalone piece: a single wide file drawer designed to fit into the base opening of the modular office wide bookshelf. It turns the bottom of a bookcase into hidden hanging-file storage, and it's built almost entirely from the offcuts left over from building those bookcases — a nice bit of material economy.
The whole thing is one deep, wide drawer box on 12" undermount slides. The bottom starts as a 1x16 leftover trimmed 1" on the long edge to hit the right width; sides and back are 1x10; the face is measured to fit the actual opening. Because it's undermount, the slides tuck under the drawer and the box sets back 3/4" from the front of the bookcase, leaving room for the face to sit flush.
There's very little to get wrong here as long as you build square and measure the face to the opening you actually have rather than the number on paper — bookcase openings drift, and an undermount drawer is unforgiving of a box that isn't square. Add a lateral hanging-file system inside if you'll use it for files rather than general storage. Finish to match the bookcase it lives in.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x16 plywood offcut, 4 ftDrawer bottom — leftover from the bookcases. | 1 each |
| 1x10, 6 ftDrawer sides, back, and face. | 1 each |
| Undermount drawer slides, 12 in | 1 pair |
| Lateral file hanging systemOptional — only if used for hanging files. | 1 each |
| Wood screws, 2 in | 1 box |
| Wood glue | 1 bottle |
| Wood filler | 1 each |
| Finish | 1 quart |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Drawer bottom1x16 plywoodTrim the long edge 1" to reach final width. | 1 | 3/4" × 15 1/2" × 37 1/2" |
| Drawer sides1x10 | 2 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 14 1/2" |
| Drawer back1x10 | 1 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 36" |
| Drawer face1x10Measure to fit the actual opening. | 1 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 38 1/4" |
Buy 3 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
2 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Cut the drawer bottom from a 1x16 offcut left over from the bookcases, then trim the long edge 1" to reach the final width. Starting from a leftover keeps this an almost-free add-on.
Fasten the two 1x10 sides to the bottom with 2" screws and glue. Keep everything square — an undermount drawer will bind if the box is even slightly out of square, so check the diagonals before the glue sets.
Fasten the back to the sides, and also drive through the bottom into the back, with 2" screws and glue. Then install the drawer into the bookcase base on the 12" undermount slides — the box sets back 3/4" from the front of the bookcase to leave room for the face.
Measure the face to the actual opening — not the drawing — and fit it flush with an even gap all around, fastening from inside the box. Add a lateral hanging-file system if you'll store files. Fill any holes, sand, and finish to match the bookcase.
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